49ers Vs. Cardinals Recap, Stats, and Notes

The 49ers lost 23-13 to Arizona in Week 1.

The 49ers lost because they were outplayed and outcoached.

Mike Nolan refused to gamble offensively and this cost his team. Did anyone believe he would actually go for it on 4th and 1 at the end of the second quarter with his team down 10-7? 

The 49ers settled for the FG instead to tie up the game 10-10.  J.T. O'Sullivan pretended to go for it and try to draw the Cardinals offside but they were not going to fall for it.  

No team will believe the 49ers will gamble on offense as long as Nolan is the head coach.  

On the other side, Ken Whisenhunt went for it on fourth down three times and was successful twice. That was a big key to the game.  Whisenhunt clearly outcoached  Nolan.

Nolan did look better than Whisenhunt though. Nolan once again looked great in his sunglasses, white shirt, and tie.  Too bad he isn't as good with the X's and O's.

J.T. O'Sullivan played poorly and threw an interception along with two fumbles. This guy has no pocket presence whatsoever.

O'Sullivan had timing issues with his WRs as expected.  I wanted O'Sullivan to get more playing time in the preseason but Nolan insisted on playing Alex Smith and Shaun Hill more instead.

Did Isaac Bruce play? I don't know if he did or not.  

RB Frank Gore had a good game with a nice 41-yard touchdown run. 

Where are the plays to Vernon Davis?  Davis thinks he is the best TE in the league.  He is not even top five.  He might be the highest paid TE or the strongest, but he is not the best TE.  

Davis hasn't been able to show the fans much over the years but it is not all his fault. Much of the blame goes to the coaching staff for not utilizing him properly.

The 49ers defense could not stop the running game or the passing game of the Cardinals.

Anquan Bolden abused the  49ers' cornerbacks and caught eight passes in the second half.

The Cardinals dialed up  blitzes all day long on  O'Sullivan and had four sacks. O'Sullivan never saw so many different coverages in preseason.

If you watched the Bears Vs. Colts game last night, you saw how the Bears utilized their two TEs Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen.   Delanie Walker and Davis are more talented than those two TEs but the Bears used their TEs more effectively on Sunday.  

The 49ers face the Seahawks next week and Arizona takes on Miami at home.

49ers Vs. Cardinals Preview

Look for a very high-scoring game this afternoon when the 49ers face the Cardinals.

RB Frank Gore must have a good game if the 49ers are to win.

Two nose tackles for Arizona are out for the game. Gore should have room to run throughout the game.

How will J.T. O' Sullivan do against the tough Cardinals defense? 

O'Sullivan will see different and more complex coverages than he saw in preseason. 

The Cardinals have two studs on defense in linebacker Karlos  Dansby and safety Adrian Wilson.

TE Vernon Davis must make an impact in this game for the 49ers against single coverage.

On defense, the 49ers must pressure the pocket and force Warner to hurry his throws. 

RB Edgerrin James has to have a good game for his team also.

The Cardinals need to keep Warner's jersey clean.

C Al Johnson is out for the year for Arizona.

The 49ers have good cover corners but you can't stop WRs Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin for four quarters.  A pass rush will help the secondary contain the Arizona passing game immensely.

This will be a very close game but I see the Cardinals winning it 27-23.

Arizona lost twice last year to the 49ers and this is a huge revenge game for them.

Arizona faces Miami at home next week, and the 49ers head to Seattle to face the Seahawks.

A Look At The San Francisco 49ers 2008 Schedule

It is imperative that the 49ers get off to a good start or Mike Nolan could be out of a job.
With that being said, the schedule doesn't bold well for a successful season at all.

The 49ers must win their season opener at home against Arizona or face a strong possibility of going 0-2 since they face Seattle on the road in Week 2.

It is never easy to win in Seattle and it will be even harder for a first year starting quarterback such as J.T. O' Sullivan to overcome the crowd noise at Qwest Field.

Another must-win game would be the third game of the season at home against the Lions. The Lions are much improved but this is a game the 49ers should win.

You know Mike Martz will do his best to have the offense put up a lot of points on the Lions. Martz was the offensive coordinator for the Lions last year.

The 49ers could conceivably lose their next five games after the Detroit game.

They have to go to New Orleans and face the high-flying offense led by Drew Brees and Reggie Bush.

San Francisco comes home for two straight home games after that against the Patriots and Eagles.

It would be quite an upset if the 49ers could defeat both these teams.

What makes it worst is that the Patriots have a bye week right before they face San Francisco.

Bill Belichick will have two weeks to game-plan for the 49ers and J.T. O'Sullivan. That is a scary thought for the 49ers Faithful.

After the Eagles game, the 49ers will face the defending Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants.

Chalk up another loss for the 49ers at Giants Stadium.

Mike Nolan's team has to play the Seahawks at home right before a bye week.

I see this game as another must-win game for Nolan. 

I don't see the 49ers winning this game as Mike Holmgren gets one last victory in his hometown.

I expect Nolan will be fired after this game and the 49ers get two weeks to transition into a new system with a new coach.

After the bye week, the 49ers play on Monday night against Arizona. This should be a competitive game but it is a tossup on who will come out victorious.

After the short week, they must face the Rams at home.

The next two games in November will be on the road against Dallas and Buffalo.

I don't think anyone sees this team winning against the Cowboys.

A road game in Buffalo in the winter is never easy for a West Coast team.

The four games in December gives the 49ers a good chance of going 3-1.

They face the Jets at home before departing the Bay Area once again to take on the Dolphins and the Rams.

The last game of the season will be home against the Redskins.

The game at Miami might be the easiest game for them to win on the road.

The season and Nolan's job status will be decided in October when they have to face the Patriots, Eagles, Giants, and Seahawks.

The 49ers will improve this year offensively under Martz and their defense will improve also.

Unfortunately for the fans in the Bay Area, this team still won't be able to win a lot of games in 2008.

Expect the games to be more exciting and closer than last year, but when the dust settles, Nolan will be fired and the 49ers will have to start over once again with a new coaching staff.